Chronicle of Higher Ed: UW a ‘Great College to Work For’

The University of Washington has been recognized as a “Great College to Work For” by The Chronicle of Higher Education for the fifth consecutive year. The UW received accolades in five categories.

Now in its 11th year, the Chronicle’s 2018 “Great Colleges to Work For” program recognizes small groups of colleges for best practices and policies based on a survey of faculty and staff. The Chronicle’s survey is the largest and most comprehensive workplace study in higher education.

“To be once again recognized for the extraordinary achievements and workplace culture that our talented faculty and staff produce at the University of Washington is a great honor,” UW President Ana Mari Cauce said. “As a community of people serving, discovering and educating, we are driven by a profound public mission, and being included among the ‘Great Colleges to Work For’ signifies how important that mission is to our sense of self and the meaning and satisfaction we take from the work we do together.”

Only 84 of the institutions that applied for the program achieved “Great College to Work For” recognition. Results are reported for small, medium and large institutions, with the UW included among the large universities. The results, released today, are based on a survey of 253 colleges and universities.

UW faculty and staff were randomly surveyed by the Chronicle and asked to evaluate the university in a variety of categories, including job satisfaction, professional development, compensation, leadership, respect, appreciation and policies.

The survey results are based on a two-part assessment process: an institutional audit that captured demographics and workplace policies, and a survey administered to faculty, administrators and professional support staff. The primary factor in deciding whether an institution received recognition was the employee feedback, according to the Chronicle.